Battles Broken Down—
Hip Hop Elements Hits 7 Year Mark

Article and photo of Hiphop Legends by James “True” Peterson

On Friday, May 23, Hip Hop Elements took place at 21st Street Rec Center, 2100 Washington Ave. in South Beach. DJ Trails hosted the DJ battle, the beat-boxing battle and the MC battle. These battles were competitive, but the winners were determined by audience approval/appreciation which is always tricky. In order to accurately determine a winner the host has to control for “squad” applause and other audience-sound issues that complicate the judgment process. The beat-boxer who ultimately won the human production bout, actually crushed the competition (two at a time) for several rounds before he was crowned. The DJ battles were fierce. The MC battle was barely noteworthy. Funny as this may sound, the MC, clearly the most dominant element of Hip Hop at the mainstream level, is generally overlooked by the Hip Hop Elements constituency. MCs are relegated to their original posts as hosts, discursive support personnel and Masters of Ceremonies. The Hip Hop Elements celebration integrates all of the elements at each event so that one experiences the culture thoroughly.

On Saturday, May 24, Hip Hop Elements hosted the B-boy Masters Pro-Am Dance Finals at the Miami Beach Senior High School Gymnasium. Clearly this was the most intense competition of the weekend. The dance categories included: Bboy Flava, Power Moves, Bonnie and Clyde, 5 person group, Veterans, B-Girl, Poppin’ and Lockin’. Rules and Regulations: No touching other competitors, no profanity or vulgar gestures, and no arguing with the judges’ decisions during the competition. The intensity in the Miami High School gym was severe. It was hot in there and the air was pregnant with rivalries and old-school beefs. The break dancing competition deserves the most attention because it is the most dangerous and the most physically competitive. Unfortunately, the entire audience at this event bore witness to this fact. In hindsight, I have no idea why event organizers did not arrange to have a first-aid and/or ambulance stationed at the event. My only answer to this oversight is that somehow even the strongest proponents of the athletic skill levels required to break dance, don’t yet fully appreciate it as a sport. Otherwise, greater measures would have been taken to ensure the safety and health of the athletes. After several rounds of one-on-one competition between individual B-boys and B-girls, the battle arena (centered on the gymnasium floor) had not been wiped dry—not even once. For one B-boy, this oversight, coupled with the pressure to push yourself in front of an audience of 300 plus, would signal the end of his career.

If you have ever seen any one break a limb, then you will know that the sound of it is usually worse than what you actually see. This blond-haired B-Boy attempted a power move that forced him into a position from which he could not properly free his leg before he snapped it at the knee cap. He immediately fell unconscious to the collective gasp of the audience. The look on his opponent’s eyes changed from fierce non-chalance to genuine concern in a fraction of a second. Every one looking on understood immediately that this was a career ending injury. It was twenty minutes before the paramedics arrived.

Break Dancing and Break beats are things we Hiphop heads know and love. Broken bones at Breaking competitions is something else entirely. But as folks continue to battle for acknowledging B-boying/B-girling as a sport, our old-heads and event organizers must respect B-boying/B-girling as such. If it’s a sport, then measures will have to be taken to ensure the safety of its participants. As B-boy/B-girl athletics and acrobatics continue to develop and garner prominence as a legitimate sport, the appropriate safety protocols must be put in place.

For full update, pictures, and winners’ names, please see www.hiphopelements.com.

Contact: James “True” Peterson peterson@hiphoparchive.org.



Blazin Hiphop Films at the 2003 IFP
Los Angeles Film Festival
June 12th – June 18th
Posting by Nicole “Nikol” Hodges

Bomb the System, Directed by Adam Bhala Lough
Mark Webber lights up the screen in a dramatic portrayal of the head of an underground graffiti crew in New York City. Webber ignites the screen as young man grappling with the demands of love, loyalty and art as the realities of the street life close in around him.

Resustencia—Hip-Hop in Columbia,
Directed by Sergio Umansky
This film sheds light on how Hiphop in Columbia is used as means to spread cultural resistance ina country torn by civil war. Youth in Columbia use Hiphop to express their pride in being Columbian and in being themselves.
http://www.lafilmfest.com



The 2nd NYC Hip-Hop Theater Festival
June 13th – June 30th
Posting by Nicole “Nikol” Hodges

Danny Hoch, Caseroc Productions and the Hip-Hop Theater Junction are teaming up this year to produce the 2nd NYC Hip-Hop Theater Festival. Under one roof, the plays, monologues and stories of Hip-Hop's best and brightest actors, playwrights, dancers and performers will gather to present 15 different pieces from New York, Los Angeles, Albuquerque, Washington DC and London in the two legendary theater spaces at P.S. 122. Come see theater that celebrates the language and stories of our generation and culture. For info, visit: www.hiphoptheaterfest.com.